AMBUSH
TACTICAL CARD OPERATIONS
The bones of classic War, with actual choices. Commit cards in secret, execute Royalty with an Assassin, intercept with the Knight, and drag the whole table into War with The Gambit.
The Game
What Is Ambush?
Ambush is a 2–4 player card game built on the bones of classic War. Every round, each operative secretly commits one card to the field, and the best card takes the pot. The real fight is in what you hold back: Assassins that execute Royalty, Knights that ambush them, and The Gambit, a Joker that throws the entire table into War.
When cards tie, stakes go in blind, sums are contested, and losing cards burn to the Graveyard. The instant one operative runs dry, the operation ends, and survivors are scored on everything left in their hands.
The Intrigue Triangle
Royalty beats Knight. Knight ambushes Assassin when Royalty is on the field. Assassin executes Royalty. Three face cards, three ways to flip a round.
The Gambit
Jokers are weapons, not filler. Play one and the whole table enters War, where it counts as your best card in the sum.
Burned Stakes
Wars are fought with blind supply stakes. Lose, and your war cards burn to the Graveyard, permanently gone from the game.
Sudden-Death Scoring
The first operative to run dry ends the operation instantly. Survivors score every card left in hand, supply, and capture. Highest value wins.
In Sixty Seconds
How to Play
Four moves and you are operational. Full detail lives in the Field Manual, or grab the one-page Quick Reference.
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01
Deal & Draw
Shuffle a 54-card deck and deal every operative their Supply. Draw 3 cards to your hand.
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02
Commit
Each round, everyone secretly picks one card from hand and lays it face-down.
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03
Clash
Reveal together. Highest card takes the pot; Assassin, Knight, and Royalty flip each other.
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04
War & Win
Ties (or a Joker) trigger War. First operative to run dry ends it; highest remaining value wins.
The Question
Why Not Just Play War?
War is a rite of passage: two decks, zero choices, pure luck. You flip the top card and pray. The tension is real, but you never win on skill, and games can drag for ages.
Ambush keeps the DNA of War: secret cards, war on ties, blind stakes. It adds the parts that make you think. Every card you commit is a decision: save the Assassin for the King, or cash it in now? Throw a Joker and drag the table into War, or hold it as a wild? You can still lose to bad luck. You just can't hide behind it anymore.
| Classic War | Ambush | |
|---|---|---|
| PLAYERS | 2, exactly | 2–4 operatives |
| YOUR MOVE | Flip the top card. No choice. | Choose which card to commit each round |
| FACE CARDS | Just high numbers | A triangle: Royalty › Knight › Assassin › Royalty |
| JOKERS | Not used | The Gambit: triggers table-wide War, wild in sums |
| TIES | War: 3 blind + 1 reveal, repeat | Blind supply stakes + committed hand, contested sums, sudden death |
| LOSING CARDS | Winner takes everything | Loser's war cards burn to the Graveyard, gone for good |
| END OF GAME | First to run out loses; can take forever | First elimination ends it; survivors scored by card value |
| WINS DECIDED BY | Luck | Choices (and some luck) |
Ambush was designed and playtested at the family table by OKAMI SQUADRON, the squad that came up with the game. If your family plays War on holidays, this is the upgrade.